£600 car. Suggestions Please!

[JC]

Following on from Thom's suggestion...
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/peugeot/106/postcode/ox100dz/radius/1501/sort/priceasc/fuel-type/diesel

You can get her 2 for just over £700 so she'll have plenty of spares or a whole other car to use if the first dies. If my wife wasn't going to ferry our kids around in her car I'd get her one of these 

£400's worth of 106 will always be better than 2k's worth of KA they really are a bargain, especially for just short commuter type journeys, and those engines are worthy of many of hundreds of thousands of miles without a problem... the downside is the cars that dont have power steering! avoid at all costs, its like steering a tank

Thom

try a mk2 without P/steering running 15s  you are just old and weak 

[golf-sib]

I'd avoid the polo 6n, the word chocolate components comes to mind in my ownership of two of them. Always a gearbox issue somewhere along the way and TB issues (but thats common for vag), apart from that they are ok, easy to repair and maintain, but my mk4 1.8T has cost me miles less in maintenance than my polo's. My polo's bills where so high I could of bought a new LCR 

KA's rust like mad, I'd look at a micra personally

Agree fully about the Polo 6n. I had the 1.4 16v model and even though I really enjoyed driving it, very nippy , great handling ect, the bills on fixing bits here and there were out of hand. Had a new clutch, gearbox (luckily managed to get it for free due to a old recall issued) and just little issues that seemed to happy every other week.

Only had it 12 months or so before some silly girl decided to crash in to me , writing it off, but it cost more in bills in those 12 months than MK4 1.8T has in the same time

Completely agree, I had the 1.0MPI and then the 1.4... both gearbox issues like mad, I remember waking up one morning and putting it on reverse only to nearly go through the house in front, the reverse gear failed and in turn would only go forward  :embarassed: What the 1.8T has cost me is nothing in comparison to what the 6n has cost me, its utterly crazy when people go on about how smaller cars are better, economical, cost effective, more reliable, easy to fix etc...

Yet I abuse the 1.8T non stop from cold an it keeps going, the 6n driven normally just fell apart  I know a few lad's on here that would say avoid the 6n like an STD.

Shame though, as I did really enjoy the Polo when it is was working. Which was not very often. I don't know about you, but one problem I would have , is when slowing down from speed, like say coming of a Motorway to a roundabout ect, I would change down to first, but then the engine would just cut out. Use to happen regularly, garage could find nothing wrong though.
Even had the gear stick come out fully in my hand once while doing 80MPH!

The petrol costs too , like you say, don't seem that different either to the the 1.8T now.

Had that problem on the 1.0mpi, could never work it out, TB cleaned & realigned, new TB didn't sort it, check all the electrics, new rotor arm and dizzy, new HT leads, everything was changed and still that problem! you are creeping along and it would just cut out or driving at 30mph and same thing. Local Volkspares place had a golf mk3 problem identical to that and they never solved it either, the bloke just got rid of it in the end. Again they tried everything from alternator to battery and so on 

Not a bad car otherwise, but after owning two I'd say hell no to owning one again except maybe the diesel variants like the 1.9 or 1.4tdi.

[droofer]

For that money, a Peugeot 106 Diesel ticks all boxes, cheapest to buy, run, service, mend, no rust, and plenty to choose from... but at all costs, avoid buying a KA of any year or price!

Thom

You might also want to leave for work an hour early if you buy one of these. Slowest car ever!


I would suggest a Micra. Solid cars, reliable and it doesn't matter if you crash it.

micras rot...........for fun........... you obvoiusly havent driven an escort  mk5 1.8d non turbo, now they are slow!!!!

[droofer]

my 2penneth- astra g 1.4 /1.6 8 valve.,  i look after a couple of these for a couple of neighbours, and one of them has done 100k, just has regular servicing , and has just failed its mot on 2 bulbs............the other is mint out of its face, apart from the fact he smokes in it. i think there very good cars, and are becoming cheap as chips. failing that, get lucky with a mk2 polo breadvan.

[DubFan]

+1 on the Polo 6n gearbox. Built of chocolate it was. But the car itself was fun to drive and was in good condition. The lost 5th gear was the only reason I sold it.

Seat Ibiza or Skoda Fabia are cheaper than the Polo and still look alright.

[dragongreengolfgti]

Suzuki swift 1.0ltr or 1.3 very cheap  can buy anything from a bulb to a shell for about a tenner on the bay and they do not brake! my misses tried her hardest to destroy hers and it wouldn't die they fetch around 600 for an 02 plate! she sold hers to her uncle in the end on an 02 plate with about 55k on the clock for £500 and thats about the going rate 

Failing that what about a fiat punto one of the cheapest cars to insure 

[bigstring]

Celica GT or St, bomb proof, never had a single problem with any of mine....

[xxChrisxx]

try a mk2 without P/steering running 15s  you are just old and weak 

Steering wheel from the Cutty Sark, but I still ended up with arms like Geoff Capes after a year of parking my Mk2.

Loved every minute of it, felt manly and planted.


Should be able to get a 1.25 Zetec fiesta for c. £600. Find one that's had it's sills already welded (or the miracle of no sill rust) and you can't go far wrong.

[MrBounce]

Well, just had a text from my friend. Her Mum knows a secondhand car dealer. He quite often gets cars from the auctions and tends to specialise in ex-pensioner-mobiles. So Tracey is now the proud (?) owner of a 1999 71k-on-the-clock Hyundai Atoz  

For those that don't know or had conveniently forgotten, let me refresh your memories. They look like this: (although this is a press photo - I haven't seen the car)



I guess it will be reliable, if nothing else...  

[luke]

what about a 1.2 fiesta? I've just sold the golf for £500 and bought a mk6  escort  for £160